Ag News: Animal Activists as Ag Employees

**Animal rights activists continue to threaten animal agriculture and a recent ruling in Iowa, overturning a law making it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm in order to conduct an "undercover investigation."

According to agweb.com, trade tariffs, foreign animal disease, prices and daily production are giving farmers fits and the last thing they need is to be digging into a potential employee’s background.

The Animal Ag Alliance’s Hannah Thompson-Weeman says employees are one of the biggest vulnerabilities in animal agriculture.

**U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin may have discussed lifting some, if not all tariffs on China. That’s according to the Wall Street Journal, that reports he may even offer a tariff rollback during the next round of trade discussions planned to begin on January 30th.

However, agweb.com reports, a Treasury Department spokesperson says “Neither Secretary Mnuchin nor Ambassador Lighthizer has made ANY recommendations with respect to tariffs or other parts of the negotiation with China.”

**Health Canada's final re-evaluation on glyphosate in 2017 got hammered with objections and public concerns over the validity of the science used.

However, Agrimarketing.com reports, after a thorough scientific review, Health Canada scientists have concluded the concerns raised could not be scientifically supported and objections created no doubt or concern about their glyphosate decision. Therefore, the Department's final decision stands.

The Department regularly reviews all pesticides to make sure they continue to meet modern health and safety standards.